Re: [RFC] frandom - fast random generator module

[Kent Borg <kentborg-rhl@borg.org>]

On Tue, Oct 21, 2003 at 07:56:02PM -0700, jw schultz wrote:
> I am curious how someone is going to use random data from a device
> in a shell

I regularly use:

  $ head -c 4 /dev/random | ./mnencode

I do it when I need to generate yet another password (I finally had
the brains to realize I can't reuse passwords).  I pipe 4 (rarely
more) bytes into mnencode, a cute little program that maps any data
into pronounceable/spellable words.  (And mndecode will reverse to
process.)  So I have a lot of passwords that look like
corona-million-binary or horizon-july-egypt or single-august-pump
or...

For more information on mnencode see
<http://www.tothink.com/mnemonic/>.


-kb, the Kent who would like to see the kernel's random number
generator improved (better entropy estimation, better entropy
management, ability to supply some initial entropy early in the
boot--for embedded devices--and even speed), but the Kent who doesn't
want the kernel to be exploded into a catalogue of competing random
number generators.


P.S.  When is there going to be a good open source password safe for
Palm OS?